When Maika Eugenio was just a baby, his throwing skills were evident. His father, Mat, was the defensive coordinator at Castle High School when a 3-year-old Maika would throw passes from the sideline and impress anyone in sight.
Maika Eugenio's quarterback skills continued to be honed by various coaches. One of his first instructors was Vince Passas, the same quarterback coach who mentored future NFL quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Tua Tagaovailoa.
As Eugenio's skills progressed with age, his parents began to ponder a move to the Mainland in order to gain more exposure. When he was in middle school, his parents decided to move as a family from Kapolei to Las Vegas.
"I think at that time, Maika was 11, and we were planning it a couple years before because we knew with Maika, I think he had something," Mat Eugenio recently told Aloha State Daily. "Every parent says my kid has something, but we felt like he needed to go out and travel and compete and do those things, get more opportunities. We love Hawai‘i, and Hawaiʻi is very competitive, don't get me wrong. But we felt like going to the Mainland, he would get a broader sense of competition out there."
Maika Eugenio enrolled at high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. Although he made the varsity team as a freshman, he had to bide his time behind star QB Micah Alejado, who eventually made his way to the University of Hawai‘i.
Making the most of their time on the Mainland, Mat and Maika Eugenio would drive down to Southern California three times a month to see quarterback trainer Daniel Hernandez. Between making the drive and training and driving back home, Mat estimated each endeavor would take about eight hours.
Last fall, Eugenio split his reps with another quarterback before seizing control of the starting job on a full-time basis. The Gaels won the Nevada state championship and went 9-0 with Eugenio as their starter. He threw 31 touchdowns compared to just two interceptions while completing nearly 70% of his passes.
Despite the lack of playing time at the high school level, Eugenio turned heads during the camp and 7-on-7 circuit, earning offers from schools such as UNLV, Arizona State, Florida Atlantic, Cornell and Hawai‘i.
After taking an official visit to Hawai‘i last weekend, Eugenio committed to play for the Rainbow Warriors, where he will sign in December and enroll next spring. In committing to UH, Eugenio is set to come back home to O‘ahu. He is also set to reunite with quarterbacks coach Chad Kapanui, who recently departed Gorman to take the same position with the Rainbow Warriors.
"I was just blessed, really," Maika Eugenio told ASD. "I was blessed for the opportunity. It was always just my dream as a kid to go commit to a Division I school. I think the biggest thing was just the relationships I have with the coaches, they just showed that they really care about me. Coach [Chris] Brown, coach [Kapanui], coach [Timmy] Chang, coach [Anthony] Arceneaux, they're always showing me that same love, like not a lot of other schools do, so I feel like that was probably the biggest factor for me."
When Eugenio enters the quarterback room at UH, he'll be reunited with Alejado and Kapanui. As a youth in the Islands, he was also teammates with incoming receiver Titan Lacaden.
"Being able to learn from them and just to gain knowledge was definitely good, and it's good to be back with them again next year, just being able to talk with them and maybe crack some jokes over there," Eugenio said. "I want to be in a room where I feel like I'm wanted and feel like everyone just has a good vibe."
The relationship between Kapanui and the Eugenios goes back. Kapanui was a player for Mat Eugenio back when he was a player at Roosevelt.
"It's emotional because Chad, I remember him when he was an eighth grader who had a big arm. He was just so athletic. He could play," Mat Eugenio recalled. "We built our relationship. And then things happened in life, and he ended up being a QB coach at Gorman. It's just amazing. It's crazy. That was a big, key role in I think Maika's decision (to commit to UH) is knowing Kapanui was there and he would take care of him. He's family. Kapanui is definitely family, and to know that he's going to take care of my son, it's awesome."
Maika Eugenio has one more year of high school football to play before he makes the jump to college. He's fully entrenched as Bishop Gorman's starting quarterback. This fall, the Gaels will come to O‘ahu for a game at Kahuku on Aug. 30.
"I'm just excited to be back in Hawai‘i again," Eugenio said of the matchup between the Gaels and Red Raiders. "It's crazy, because whenever there's a football game out there in Hawai‘i, the whole island comes out to support. I'm just ready to play and show what I got in front of everyone. And, you know, hopefully get that victory."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
